Sacramento Head Start Alumni Association

Data Says Marriage Associated with Better Family Finances

Sep 18, 2002

Women who are married by the time their first child turns one tend to stay married and spend less time alone than those who remain single moms for longer. Marriage is also associated with more stable home environments and fewer years in poverty, according to Robert Lerman, a researcher with the Urban Institute. The data don?’t indicate whether government programs promoting marriage can be successful, or whether married couples' higher incomes are the result of marriage, or due to the fact that people with higher incomes are more likely to be married. The data show, however, that low-income married couples have less material hardship and a broader support network than their single counterparts.
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